BaGuaZhang andTaiJiQuan master, Guo Sifu, explains and demonstrates some key fighting concepts of the Chinese Martial Arts. I use this as a metaphor to explain what powerful communicators do, so this video is valuable even (especially?) for those who are NOT into martial arts. Powerful communicators are trained in those techniques. although not physically.
Just hear sifu Guo’s words (or if you don’t speak Mandarin, read them) while holding in your mind a picture of the flow of communication instead of physical sparring.
‘Control your centre‘: know your outcome & hold your focus.
‘Attacking the beginning‘: when there is softness on the other side, use strength (when yin is present, use yang).
‘Asking for force‘: ask for force on one side to induce resistance there, then use strength on the other side.
‘Avoid the substantial and attacking the empty‘: You will encounter much more resistance in places where force is focused, so go for the line of least resistance. If there is strength somewhere, there must be weakness somewhere else. This, by the way is the foundation of permissive (or Ericksonian) hypnosis. Learning to displace resistance is a skill that the most successful coaches & hypnotherapists learn early on, as well as the most effective salesmen!
‘Generating power‘: you must practice many times to unify the power from your whole body. In other words, practice congruence to be congruent, play at 100%. The implications of this run deep: coaches/hypnotherapists will not be able to actualise in their client what they do not believe to be possible themselves. How congruent am I about the possibility for change in others and myself?
‘Rolling‘: finally, scatter strength by rolling. In other words, keep in movement and keep the movement open to all possible directions.
‘The Sphere‘: Let the force of the opponent fall upon you as if you were a sphere. In a sphere, there are no sharp angles that can break the flow of energy. There a presupposition of NLP that says “people are not their behaviours”, so when dealing with ‘difficult people’, be a sphere, smooth out the sharp angles to become a sphere and keep the flow going.
Finally, ‘people are living things’ he says, a reminder that all human relationships are a wave riding exercise, nothing being constant or permanent.
Although we do not use such war-like frame of reference, a lot of this applies in communication when, as coach or hypnotherapist, we need to assist people to change deeply entrenched patterns of thought and behaviour. The patterns of language used in Ericksonian Hypnosis for example are effectively very powerful covert reframes that we can use to displace resistance and shake models of the world that hold people within the walls of their own limitations.
I hope this video inspires and triggers insights in you. If you have comments, share them in the box below.
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Enjoy the video, and post any comments below.